The Netflix series Untold: Swamp Kings featured a behind-the-scenes look at the 2000’s Florida Gators, but lots of information still went untold.
ESPN stated that almost one-fourth of the Florida Gators roster had been suspects in crimes while Urban Meyer was coaching there, with over half of the cases never being prosecuted; yet the documentary barely covered the subject at all.
Senior Charlie Wunderlich said, “Overall I thought it was a solid documentary, but I would have liked to learn more about the crimes that players committed and how they got off so easily.”
The sports documentary revolved around star quarterback Tim Tebow and the mindset that he brought to the table to help Florida win the 2006 and 2008 National championships. The teams’ mindset was to dominate anyone that they ran into and to avenge the past years. Watching this documentary, I was surprised to see how unified the Gators were and how hard every player worked. It is rare to see an entire team that is willing to work hard at all times, which gave this Florida team a big edge.
The series shined a light on the mind of legendary coach Urban Meyer, explaining truly how hard it is to be a collegiate coach. He explained how he would be lucky to get four hours of sleep most nights because of the stress and pressure put on his job. As a college coach, jobs are not guaranteed and will most likely be in jeopardy if the team is in a slump. It showed that these players and coaches are humans too just like all of us, having to endure different stresses every day.
Senior Justin Janssen said, “Being a high school athlete is stressful enough, I couldn’t imagine the stress levels of a Division One athlete.”
Toward the end of the series, it shows the team as a whole reaching a breaking point. After winning two national championships the pressure was at an all-time high to keep getting better and to be the best team in college football. This led to a toxic environment causing arguments between players on offense and defense and then eventually led to the demise of the Gators when they lost to Alabama in the SEC Championship. It taught me a lesson that players need to be in the moment and celebrate every chance that comes their way.
Overall, Netflix put together a solid documentary about the Florida Gators. It went more in-depth on topics that are often overlooked by the teams’ heavy crime involvement. Learning how much it truly took to become a National Championship caliber team was interesting. It would have been great to learn more about the crime-ridden past of the Meyer-era Gators, as it is the most well-known thing about the Florida Gators. The documentary is perfect for anyone who would like to see the mental side of football, and the toll that it takes.
Untold: Swamp Kings left me unsatisfied with the information but entertained with the story.
